POPOROGUE
Version 1.0
By Bodi Anderson
RPG
SCEI 11/26/98 Memory card: 1 block
Dual shock compatible
Pocket station: 6 blocks
!!WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!!
When I tried to play Poporogue on my chip modified PSX I wasn't able
to. I think that Sony has developed a new technology for stopping
would-be import players. Unlike most games this game boots up
initially and then after the SCEI logo freezes with a giant red hand
on the screen. When I tried the game on a real Japanese playstaion
everything went fine. It may just be that my chip-mod PSX is old, but
I think that Sony really ahs developed some new technology. Oh well
if they really have I'm sure it'll be all over the web by the time I
finished with this FAQ.
WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) Introduction
2) Story
3) Game mechanics and menu translations
4) Battle system
5) Characters (Playable, Sub-characters, and Non-playable)
6) Walkthrough
7) Secrets and sub-plots
8) Pocket Station
9) Thanks
1) INTRODUCTION: Poporogue is the sequel to SCEI's 1996 hit in
Japan Popolocrois (also called Popolocrois monogatari). I really
enjoyed Popolocrois so I thought I'd write a walkthrough for the
sequel. The graphics in Poporogue, as with its predecessor are set in
the 3/4 view semi-3d looking mode. Not as showy as FFVII, but then
again the spells aren't accompanied by half an hour of cool the
first few times, then a pain in the ass graphics. Poporogue has a
number of cute innovations as well as some lame things, which I
suggest you take into consideration before buying the game.
First the bad stuff, namely the inability to control any character
but the main character in battle for the first third of the game. In
battle you only can give direct orders to Pietoro, the protagonist.
All other characters are controlled by general battle orders like
Fight full strength or Don't use magic. This is a major pain
in the ass and whoever thought it up never really played that many
rpgs before. Still, it adds a bit of challenge to the game (something
definitely lacking in FFVII) since you have to base your tactics
around the computer's AI. Luckily the AI is pretty good, and you
eventually get control of the characters so really it's not too bad
(But, it still sucks).
On the other hand there are many cool things about Poporogue which
balance this out and make it an all around cool game. Firstly the
battles are not random, you can see the monsters on the screen and
avoid them. What's more is that if you choose to escape from a
battle, the monsters you ran from will chase you around the dungeon.
Also when you encounter monsters which you easily beat they run away
from you on the screen so you can avoid battles in previously explored
areas.
Another cool innovation is the Mugen Field (AKA the Random
field). In which every time you enter a dungeon the pathways in the
dungeon are randomly generated, though the landmarks remain in the
same areas. This is to say that a certain staircase or treasure will
always be in the same place, but how you get there will be different
each time you enter a dungeon. For this reason my walkthrough will
focus on the plot and leave the dungeon exploring to you since it's
hard to give good directions.
Finally Poporogue uses the Mercenary System, in which all
characters except the main are mercenaries and are hired out. What's
cool is that those not in your current party can be sent out on
missions to get gold and experience. Troops in your squad can also
get too stressed out and need to be given tranquilizers or vacation
time.
Poporogue also introduces a really cool thing, which I think is my
favorite thing about the game, this is the Sub-Character System.
Your party consists of Pietoro and two other mercenary characters. A
little bit into the game you gain access to a choice of 4th
characters. Each of these characters will not directly participate in
battle (Though they run away if wounded), but instead offer cool
services. One character, a merchant, allows you to buy, sell or
identify items at anytime when he's in your party (Which is super
useful since you can only carry 9 of any given item).
All in all I like the game, mainly because it's challenging, and I
think you will to. I do however strongly recommend that you have the
ability to READ, though not necessarily understand katakana and
hiragana (Kanji is of course mochiron useful) if you want to play the
game my FAQ/ walkthrough covers much of the game but doesn't
translate every nitpicky thing. I'm also sorry about all the grammar
and spelling mistakes in this, but I'm mainly typing it up between
classes on a funky Japanese computer while teaching at a Japanese High
school. Oh well enjoy your game :
Sorry if the plot description trails off during the second half of
the walkthrough. I was getting more into playing the game and figured
I'd translate the nitty gritty plot intricacies later, making use of
the Pietoro's diary option. But when I started playing Xenogears
somehow all the other files on my memory card got erased, including my
Poporogue files (sniffle, sniffle). There's still a hidden character
(A shaman) I don't know how to access and so much more exploring to
do, but oh well. Still, don't worry the walkthrough covers how to
fully beat the game and even goes into some of the hidden attractions
of the game. I'll eventually update it but I'm kind of Poporogue'd
out right now and trying to work on my Puppet Princess of Marl
Kingdom translation (Stay tuned) instead.
2) STORY:
It has been two years since Pietoro and company have defeated the
evil Ice demon and his cronies, Pietoro has grown bored with every day
life (Especially studying!), so he decides to escape from the castle.
He sneaks out of the castle and explores the town, finally ending up
dozing off in nearby grasslands. Everything is all La De Da until : A
giant cloud covers Popolocrois and sucks half the continent into the
sky!! (Note that the opening movie may not be skipped past until you
have Poporogue save data on your memory card)
3) GAME MECHANICS & MENU TRANSLATIONS
3.1) Basic Controls: CIRCLE= Action X= Cancel
TRIANGLE= Options menu SQUARE= Pietoro's Notebook
3.2) Menu Translation: The options are listed in the following order :
1. Magic: Magic which can be used during non-combat times (i.e.
healing spells)
2. Items: On the top there are ordering icons. If you use a
spell (Scrolls) or technique (Blue Books) on a character they will
learn that particular ability. Note that not all characters can use
all abilities or spells.
3. Equip Weapons: Also shows status screen
4. Status: Press CIRCLE once to view magic and again for special
techniques
Also see status menu translation below
5. Formation: select from one of six variations
6. Tactics: Very important! See tactics translation below
3.3) Pietoro's Notebook: Choose from the following options. Not all
are available at the beginning of the game (Those marked with a *)
1. Status: Basically the same as the menu option.
2. Monster Diary: All the info about your favorite foes.
3. *Item List: Info on all items encountered (Appears after talking to
fishing boy in Tonku)
4. *Stamp Card: Collect Bingo one, two or five times for various
prizes (Appears after talking to Stamp man in Tonku). Also see Secrets
and sub-plots section.
5. Diary: A day by day account of what's happened (Very useful if
you're writing a walkthrough)
6. *Magical Map: Press CIRCLE to alternate between locations and paths
(Appears after talking with Guilda)
7. *Mugen Field: Shows how much of each dungeon you've explored
(Appears after talking to fishing boy in Tonku)
8. Configuration: goes as follows : 1) Message speed (All at once,
fast, normal) 2)Sound (Mono, Stereo) 3) Map (Picture or scroll)
4)Controller (Analog or normal) 5) Window color
3.4) Status Screen Translation: Looks something like this :
HP MP TP
Attack Strength Experience
Defense Strength Experience to Next Level
Magic Strength Fire # Ice # Wind #
Magic Defense Thunder # Dark # Holy #
Luck Earth # ??? # Status change(?) #
Speed ??? #
Move (In squares)
Sorry about the ??? but the screen is hard to read
3.5)Battle Menu Translation: The following is a translation of the
battle menu
options for controllable characters. Characters are moved in battle
by using the d-pad. If you select attack the computer will factor in
moving. Press left or right on the d-pad to choose between enemies.
It is often better to move the characters yourself in confined spaces
so you can make sure everyone is able to get in a shot.
1. Attack:
2. Magic: you may not move and use magic in the same turn
3. Special Techniques: you may not move and use some techniques in
the same turn.
4. Items:
5. Defend: This also recovers a few TP.
3.6) Tactics Translation: Note that the first option is initially only
available to Pietoro. Also if a character can not perform certain
actions they will not appear on the screen. For example; Zappa can't
use magic so the commands No magic, and Help others won't
appear on his list of tactics options (If he learns healing magic
he'll have access to both commands ). True magic users (Those who
can only equip staves never have the Vanguard command). Commands
always appear in the same order simply remove commands not available
form the options list of whatever character you are dealing with.
This is one point in the game where kanji recognition is helpful.
1. Player Control
2. Do what you like: Characters will act according to what they think
is best factoring in their personality. Usually I keep characters
on this mode since the AI is pretty balanced here.
3. Full Strength: For when you're in over your head or want your
mercenaries to practice their magic.
4. Attack Enemies weak points: This also has good AI, and will usually
give you a clue as to which monsters to attack with what attacks.
5. Preserve Strength: Don't use too many Spells or Techniques, stay
out of harms way if possible.
6. No Techniques: Save TP
7. Vanguard: Rush up to the front lines and stop monsters from
getting at weaker characters.
8. Help Others: Use healing or status boosting magic.
9. No Magic: Save MP
10.Use New Things: Try and repeat new techniques and spells.
10. Do Nothing: Drool : If your mercenaries try and do this it's a
good idea to give them a tranquilizer.
3.7) Inn translation: save and rest
1. Rest (Recover hp/tp)
2. Save
3. Quit
3.8) Shop Menu Translation: Use this at shops.
1. Buy
2. Sell
3. Identify: For 5 gold per try, you can identify items with a ?
in their name. Doesn't always work on the first try.
4. Quit
3.9) Mercenary Guild Translation: Note that the last command only
appears after you have six or more total troops.
1. Medical Remedy: Bring back seriously wounded troops for a hefty
price.
2. Employ: There are two fees, a guarantee fee and one for wages.
3. Dismiss: You'll get some gold back.
4. Presents: Give mercenaries spells or techniques. The guidebook says
this is important to keep your troops happy. But you can also do this
anytime with your current troops. Good for troops whom you only send
to explore, but are rarely in your party.
5. Search: First choose who, then where (Depending on what your
present location is), and finally what (Basically the more expensive
the command the more stuff you'll get back, except for command #4
which is Relax. What exactly Relax does I'm not sure , but
it's probably good to do if you're sending the same troops out again
and again. It takes about ten minuets real time for your troops to
return. Go to the counter to check and get any gold and items they
collected. Next go into the barracks and talk to the troops who went
out and they'll tell you what happened (This isn't necessary, but
you don't want to hurt their feeling, right? ).
4) BATTLE SYSTEM:
I'm sure you've all played many an RPG so I won't waste my time or
yours explaining lame details of the battle system. Still, there are a
few things worthy of note. First off as I mentioned before all the
monsters appear on the screen and will actively chase or run away from
you (Except for the mushrooms which can't move). Furthermore, if you
run from a monster it will chase you all over whatever screen you're
on. On the other hand if a monster runs away from your party, you can
chase it and when you encounter it, it will retain any previous wounds
it suffered. Cool, huh.
In the middle of battle press the X button to bring up the Tactics
menu. It will appear before your next character's turn, so don't
keep pressing it if there's no initial response. Here you can change
the tactics of troop mid-battle. After making any changes select the
top option to continue the battle. The bottom choice is run away.
Occasionally in the middle of battle your troops might request to
change their tactics. Unless you can read the kanji fast enough it's
probably good to say no (X button). Press the CIRCLE button to agree
with their suggestion. I don't know if anything bad happens if you
continually refuse the same character's request. If they request to
Do nothing you may want to give them a tranquilizer (Zappa on the
other hand frequently does this not because of stress, but laziness).
In general it's a good idea to give you troops tranquilizers if
they've been with you for a long time. Tranquilizers can be bought
in Cormuck. Still, I try and accept most of the suggestions then
change them the next chance I get just in case. I don't think that
you'll receive any new suggestions after you get the option of manual
control.
Watch out for your optional characters in battle, if their HP becomes
to low hey will flee the battle and you'll have to trek all the way
back to where ever you found them to get them to join again. You can
also never control the optional characters, even if you have the item
that allows you to control your other characters.
There are also some important facts you should know about the
dungeons as well. There are four types of doors in each dungeon. The
first and most common type are the kind you simply press the CIRCLE
button to open. The second type are color-coded and require you to
find a dragon statue with the same color and switch it on. For
example you need a red switch to open a red door. Switches can be
turned on and off, so always try a switch and see what happens. (On a
side note some dragon statues that look like switches will turn in to
traps or treasure chests). The third type of door is a Monster
door. These are gray with a monster face on them. To open a Monster
Door you must kill all the monsters on the current screen (all the red
blips).
The final type of door are pink colored barriers which require some
special action to open them. Usually after you complete a certain
event or gain a certain character they will open. Unfortunately all
the hints for opening them are in Japanese and there are far to many
of them for me to translate each one so try and make a point of
returning to dungeons occasionally to see if any new doors are open.
On the other hand some pink doors are opened by means of a switch.
These switches look different from the ones for the colored doors.
They will always be glowing red, and after they're activates they'll
send a red orb off. See the Sub-plots and Secrets section for
tips on opening the most common types of pink doors.
A final point about dungeon exploring is that you should frequently
check the various billboards around the world and read all new
information (Highlighted in yellow). You need not understand the
Japanese here simply reading them will open new paths in the dungeons.
The first of these billboards is found due south of the Castle Town.
Make it a point to read these regularly, it's important!
5) CHARACTERS
Playable Characters (In order of appearance)
PIETORO (The kid with the green clothes and the brown pony-tail)
The young prince of Popolocrois and protagonist of the story, who
just recently
turned 12.
DAISON (The axe wielding blond barbarian)
You meet him in Takinen. He lost his way and is trying to look for
good work.
MERU (The kitty-cat witch)
A lover of animals. Always trying to help others.
ROBIN (The elf looking guy with the bow, but no hood)
Good hearted and a good shot.
LEOPARD (The white tiger with the spear)
Boasts that he's stronger than Misha.
MISHA (The Chinese Monkey)
Boasts that he's stronger than Leopard.
DOGMA (The snaggle-toothed old guy)
He's just a dirty old man* (As well as a kick-ass spell caster)
*( Yes, this is a Headcoatees reference)
ZAPPA (The barrel shaped dragon man)
Clumsy, sleepy, and strong (All the 7 dwarves rolled into one dragon).
Not related to Frank or Moon-unit (I think).
MILT (The fairy in Blue)
He's a prankster and jokester.
KULT (The Fairy in Pink)
Much like Milt, she uses more healing magic though.
VORIS (The man in the blue turban)
Mysterious and an all around well balanced character. Uses powerful
thunder magic. One of my personal favorites.
LAURA (The sexy blond thief)
A sexy blond thief. Her stealing ability (after she reaches level
27) comes
in handy a lot!
YUKI (The kimono clad cutie)
She's after one thing : Musashi. A well balanced healer/fighter and
a good
member for any party.
ZENON (The Robot)
Part Xevious and part Galaxian. Can't use any magic, but has cool
robot
powers (Go! Go! Zenon arms!).
MUSASHI (The punk samurai)
Stranded in the dream world far away from his homeland, he's looking
to
return home, and hopefully elude the grasp of the love crazed-Yuki.
PAULO (The guy who looks like Pietoro but isn't Pietoro)
Pietoro's Father at a much younger age.
DON (The blue soldier)
Inseparable from Gon (Yes, they are the Vicks and Wedge of
Popolocrois).
GON (The green soldier)
Inseparable from Don (Yes, they are the Vicks and Wedge of
Popolocrois).
OPTIONAL CHARACTERS (Under Construction)
IMUJI (The hooded item selling fellow in Cormuck)
You can choose from the following options (Acessed by using the magic
command outside of battle). 1. Identify Items, 2. Sell Items, 3. Buy
Items.
It costs 1 TP every time you select Buy what you can buy goes up as
Imuji's level increases.
NOSU (The Blond Inn-keeper in Cormuck)
Has healing abilities, accessed under the magic option.
ZINNIE (The dancer in Tonku)
Performs various dances during battle, also has a healing ability.
MIMI (The Cat in Tonku)
Has the power to fully restore Pietoro's HP, MP, and TP.
WATSON (Found in the item shop at Gabath)
Increases the amount of treasure you get from monsters. Also randomly
steals items from monsters in battle.
VOLUGE (In front of the entrance of the Maze of Gold & Death)
Will occasionally give you presents. Keep him in your party long
enough and he'll give you cool items.
????? (The lady doing laundry in Takinen)
Sorry, but I forgot her name. She will give you discounts when
buying items.
NON-PLAYABLE CHARACTERS
PAULO (The King of Popolocrois)
Pietoro's dad, once a great warrior, now an old cute guy.
SANIRA (The queen of Popolocrois)
Pietoro's mom is actually a dragon in human form. This is why
Pietoro is
so cool. (For more information play Popolocrois Monogatari)
GUILDA (The old witch)
Narcia's loud-mouth older sister. Very critical of others but
useful in a
tight spot.
NIGHTMARE (The strange guy who visits you in your dreams)
What is he up to? Is he related to Jack?
STAMP MAN (A real weirdo, always changing his costume)
A man driven by one goal : to collect as many stamps as he can!
IDO (Mysterious fellow)
??????????????????
6) WALKTHROUGH
1.The game begins with the king ordering the minister of state,
Momu, and some soldiers (including comedy duo Gon and Don) to
investigate what exactly happened to the kingdom. Well you can see how
the investigation goes.
When you finally get control of Pietoro go to the meeting room (up
the stairs in the throne room). Here you'll have a conference when
suddenly Narcia appears and explains to you that the village of
Takinen as well as Narcia and Guilda's house were also transported
into this strange new world. Narcia says that in this new world her
magic doesn't work since she's a forest witch. She asks for Pietoro
to come help her but to watch out since the path from Popolocrois
castle to her tree house has become strange (I.e. the Mugen Field).
With her last ounce of magical strength she pleads for Pietoro's
help. The King responds to this by saying the Pietoro is to young to
go and suggests sending Gon and Don. The Queen, on the other hand
brings up the fact that Pietoro saved the world two years ago so
he'll probably be up to ding this.
2. Explore the castle and pick up a few chests, do not, however open
the chest in the room behind Pietoro's room unless you happen to have
a saved game of Popolocrois on your memory card. If you do
however, have a saved game on hand open the chest. All the previous
Omiyage (lit.gifts, in this case means keepsakes of your
adventures) you earned in Popolocrois will show up in your trophy
room. Not necessarily useful, but cool nonetheless.
After looking around the castle go to Popolocrois Castle Town. Here
you can shop and go to the inn and save. Next leave the village and
go to the upper right hand corner of the screen to enter your first
dungeon : The Labyrinth Forest.
3. Good luck on your first dungeon, but the monsters are pretty
easy. Here's a good chance to get familiar with the battle system
before you have to worry about other troops. A good tip is to attack
you enemies that are far away, but still within attacking range. Here
you'll have a chance of pulling off a charge maneuver, different
from a critical, but equally as effective. Be sure to get and equip
the spell Holy Map, just to the left of the exit. This super
useful spell will provide you with a map of whatever current dungeon
you're in, including locations of monsters (red), treasures (green),
signs/switches/doors (white), and exits (dark blue= you haven't been
there yet, light blue= previously visited locations, yellow= dungeon
exit/entrance). You can not survive in the game without this spell.
Get it, equip it, use it, love it!
5. You finally exit the dungeon in the town of Takinen. Do the usual,
collect treasure, explore and buy. Go to the second floor of the
bread shop to rest/save. You'll also have a event where you meet
Daison. He can't join your party yet so don't worry about it. Head
east of the village to Guilda's houses (The big tree).
Here Guilda and Narcia will explain that they found someone from the
exploration group (The bed-ridden wizard). Guilda says that she is
unsure, but she thinks that you've been sucked into another world
somehow. She's not quite sure who is responsible so she wants Pietoro
to find out.
Guilda suggests that Pietoro goes to the King's Cave, and get the
fabled dragon statues, as they might provide some clue as to what's
going on. She also mentions Guilda and Narcia will also express
their concern since they can't help Pietoro in his adventures this
time. She also makes a crack about the budding romance between
Pietoro and Narcia (A re-occurring theme in the game). Gulida then
gives you a Magical Map (Accessed on the Pietoro's notebook screen).
Use this to find where you are in the world. Next exit north out of
the village and go to the Cave of Kings.
6. Don't forget to get the Holy Light spell on the first floor.
Use this spell to light your way in the dungeon. You'll eventually
run into a Pink light door, find a switch to open it. Go to the
bottom get the goods, and split. Guilda meets you at the exit and
takes part of the statue explaining that it can be used like a
telportation device. Head back to the Castle. You meet Meru on the
way back, she's a little to enthused about trying to find things to
heal. In any case, head back to the castle and set up the dragon
statue. The wizard teleports back and you have talk with your parents.
Your dad asks how everything went. You say that Guilda said something
about the strange clouds weakening the magic in the world and causing
the strange roads. Pietoro wants to explore further to find out
what's going on, but the king simply wont stand for it. You end up
grounded! The king sneaks off to try and save the kingdom. Everyone
is in a panic because they don't know what happened to the king so
low and behold Pietoro goes off to find his father.
7. After this long mess go out to the Castle town and see Meru and
Daison. You can now go to the mercenary guild and hire them (See
above menu translation). Next leave the castle town and go to the
southwest corner of the map and enter the West Mountain Pass.
If you want, before going to the West Mountain Pass, travel back to
Guilda's tree to ask what happened to your father. Guilda says that
she doesn't know. Narcia consoles you and there's a potential
romantic scene which is interrupted by a whack from Guilda. I believe
this scene is optional.
This dungeon is pretty simple. You must find a switch in a basement
that clears the path up top. You'll also run into a blue healing
ball that restores all HP/MP. There's a monster door here, clear it
to get a new axe for Daison. Exit the dungeon to go to the New Gami
Gami Tower
8. Outside of the New Gami Gami Tower you'll meet Robin, who's
chasing a boar. After this little encounter Robin can be accessed
anytime by going to the mercenary guild (As with all other playable
characters you meet from here on). Go into the Gami Gami Tower and
search all around and talk to everyone. You'll find a lost soldier
(Part of the original exploration party) on the far right hand side of
the base talk to him, and use the dragon statue to send him home. Be
sure to buy a full supply of Gami Gami drink G from the shop as
these will revive dead characters!
Go up to the top floor and meet the Gami Gami Devil. The first thing
he does is ask where Narica is, but when he finds out that she's not
around he gets annoyed. He also says that he knows where your father
is, but that he doubts that you alone have the ability to track him
down. So, in order to see if Pietoro is really a man or not he
challenges you to try : the Gami Gami Dungeon!
9.When you finally reach the bottom of the Gami Gami Dungeon, get
ready to fight your first boss, the giant Gami Gami robot. Boing!
Putter! Pop!
After that's through you accuse the Gami Gami devil of being up to no
good again since your dad really wasn't at the bottom of the dungeon.
You threaten to come and get him. The Gami Gami Devil gets offended
at your hasty accusations and assures you that he is doing everything
he can to help you find your dear old dad. He tells you to go south
of the Castle Village because you might find your dad there. Gami
Gami Devil used his robots to clear away the large boulder blocking
the passage so the way to the south is now open. Don't worry about
all the pink light doors on the way up Come back when Zenon is in your
party to get his special techniques here.
10. Go back through the West Mountain Pass. There is now a shortcut
via a basement, which will cut your commute time in half. Watch out
though, there are two new basements in the West Mountain pass, one is
a shortcut and the other is filled with tough monsters which are
better fought when you're level 16 or above. Stop in Popolocrois
Castle Town and pick up robin as a member of your team if you want and
head south. The Popolo Plains dungeon isn't so tough. There's also
a basement here that is better explored when you reach a higher level.
After you go through the Poporo fields once there's a warp on the
first screen of each entrance. Use these to save time.
11.The Popolo Plains dungeon isn't so tough. There's also a
basement here that is better explored when you reach a higher level.
Finally you'll reach the city of Tonku. Tonku is one of the bigger
video game cities to date with many many things to do, so get ready!
First off you'll meet your dad who quickly rushes off when he catches
sight of you. Go to the inn and you'll see him again, He promises to
return home and apologizes for running away. You sleep at the inn and
wake up the next day to find him gone. His feels his duty is to save
the kingdom as he did when he was younger. Sleep again at the inn and
see your first Nightmare in which the character bearing the same
name appears and says that Tonku is the entrance to dreams. What does
this mean? Hmm : in any case wake up and get ready for lots of stuff,
which can really be done in any order.
Talk to the little boy fishing in the upper right hand of the city to
gain access to the Mugen field and Items command in Pietoro's
diary.
Talk to the man in the stamp shop to get a bingo card and the Stamp
Card option in Pietoro's diary. Whenever you see a stamp counter
go up to it and get a stamp. You get prizes at one, two, and five
Bingo. Once the card is full take it back for another one. See the
Secrets and Sub-Plots section for the location of the stamps.
Go into a house in the center of town to meet Leopard and Misha, who
are then available as members of your party. Talk to the man in the
back of this house for a strange boat ride.
Go to the bar and talk to people to see a live song (If you're into
annoying J-Pop songs). Go to the basement to find Dogma oogling the
young ladies. After being thrown out for his lecherous behavior
he'll be available as a member of your party.
Talk to a man in a hut who has a broken robot. He needs robot parts
to fix his broken robot. The robot says, My name is Zeno : Ze :
Hmm : Who could this be?
There is a lot of cool stuff to buy so really search the town. There
are also more than a few items around, so do a good search before you
start buying things that can be found. There is also a cool sub-plot
you can do to get some nifty items. See the Secrets and Sub-Plots
section for this. Also remember that the Explore option will now
appear at the mercenary guild, use it! Finally leave through the top
right exit of the city as your search for your father continues.
12.On the way there you'll meet the ever-wacky Stamp Man, who is
obsessed with seeking stamps and giving you weird advice. After this
enter The Strange Cave, yet another dungeon. Exit onto the
Great Crossroads save and heal and talk to the guy, but items,
etc : head south into The Sun Baked Cave since the bridge going
north is broken.
You can optionally go to your right as well, through the Paved
Maze, a rather easy dungeon that, for the time being, has too many
secrets too really explore. Exit from here and search the lost
village if it pleases you. There's also another nightmare event
here, wherein Nightmare tells you to Get lost! (I.e. come back
later on into the game) In any case you should go south through the
Sun Baked Cave, meeting Milt along the way (Note Milt won't be
available in your party quite yet). Be sure to get the Robot parts in
the cave on the B4f (I think). Exit the cave into Cormuck.
13. In Cormuck you'll meet Zappa, after which he'll become a
playable character. Go into the large basement complex till you meet
a man with an eye patch in an arena room. He'll talk to you and
suggest that your father may be at the pyramid. He also asks that you
bring him back some of the Pharaoh's water for him. He says that you
can't get the Pharaoh's water without help, and suggests that you
look around the village. Next go outside and talk to an old guy (Not
the hooded type) standing somewhere by the second of the two large
skeletons. He introduces himself as Soshimu. Soshimu says he can
help you find the Pharaoh's water and joins your party. Now head off
to the Pyramid via the Kara Kara desert. Oh yeah, there's a lost
soldier somewhere around Cormuck. Talk to him, and send him home.
14. The desert and pyramid are pretty easy dungeons. Somewhere in the
desert you've got to hit a switch and come back to a previously
closed door. In any case go all the way to the 7F of the pyramid and
then run down the stairs into the basement. Here you must fight an
easy boss by the name of Minos and get the Pharaoh's water in the
room behind him. After defeating Minos Guilda appears and explains
that your father was sucked into the Dream world and that you must
find a way of entering it by collecting four dreams. You get the
hatred dream from Minos. You'll also have both Milt and Kult as
playable characters. After collecting the Pharaoh's water take the
instant warp back to Cormuck.
15. Upon returning to Cormuck you'll have access to two new things.
Firstly you can now add a fourth character to your party. I suggest
getting Imuji (He's by far the best in the game since you can buy and
identify items with him). To dismiss a fourth member simply select
the command listed under their tactics assignment during non-combat
times. You will also have access to the bank at the Mercenary guild.
When your total deposit reaches certain limits you get presents.
Go find the eye-patch fellow and give him the water. He pours it down
the well and presto, the desert is saved. He gives you the bottle and
tells you that you can trap monsters inside of it. Select it during
battle (it's called Bin under the bag items) to try and capture
monsters. You can get up to two or three at a time. These monsters
can later be turned into food at the gourmet palace in Gabath.
There is also a new dungeon, called the Submarine Gallery which
has opened in the basement next to the inn. It links Cormuck and the
Gami Gami base. It is for the most part un-exploreable for now (I
think you have to enter it from the Gami Gami side). There are more of
those important robot parts located in this dungeon (As well as some
of Zenon's special abilities, which can be accessed if he's in you
party). There's also a guy on the B1F who'll tell you about your
character's personalities, probably not much fun unless you read
Japanese well. Next go back to the crossroads via the Sun Baked cave
16. Any time from this point on you'll have the option of getting
Voris in your party. Simply head to Popolocrois castle town and go
into the room with all the cats. I highly suggest it since Voris
kicks ass both as a fighter and spellcaster. His shock wave spell
is the best in the game (except for Pietoro's Dragon Fire).
In any case rush into the ice cave and plunge down into the B4F to
kill a minor boss and get : TA DA!!! The best item in the whole
game! The item, which lets you, control other characters in battle!!!
After obtaining this item you'll notice that characters now have the
manual control option in their tactics command list. Take some time
to enjoy your newfound control and exit the ice palace to go to Gabath.
17. In Gabath you'll meet Laura who steals Pietoro's diary. She
now becomes a playable character. Once inside the tower you'll meet
Musashi and Yuki. Yuki has captured Musashi and plans to do who knows
what with him : Go to sleep outside and wake up in the middle of the
night and run into Musashi who escaped. He claims that he's trying
to find his way back to his home since he and Yuki were somehow
trapped in this dream world. He complains that the love crazed Yuki
is always chasing him around instead of focusing on going back home.
There are two more lost soldiers to save (well one is a wizard). The
wizard is on the 4th floor playing a slot machine. The soldier is on
the roof. After saving the soldier you can do a sub-plot event
(again, see the section below). Now you should have saved all 5 lost
members of the Popolocrois expedition. This will open up many
previously un-openable pink doors in the various dungeons. You can
also find Watson in the item shop on the 4th floor. The gourmet
palace is on the 5th floor.
Go to the left rear room on the 4th floor and meet all the Demios
worshipers and see the all mighty (at least until you fight him)
Demios. Follow him out the back when you are ready and go into the
Graveyard Dungeon.
18. The graveyard dungeon is simple. If you come to a point where it
looks like you're doing the same screens over and over again take the
center path and you'll find the exit. Once you exit the graveyard
dungeon you'll find a save/heal point right before the Haunted
Castle dungeon.
The Haunted Castle has a few tricks that are worthy of mention.
First do not light the blue switch on the first floor! (Or, light it
collect all the treasures and turn it back off.) It's also a good
idea to have Laura steal the Magic snatcher spell from the ghost
hats around the dungeon. On the 4F you'll encounter a room with many
switches. Turn them on one at a time. First turn on the blue switch
and go into the new room and light the green switch. Now go back and
light the other switches to get the other treasures (Make sure you
turn off the blue switch). I think you have to light both the red and
turquoise switches at the same time in order for a new path (and exit)
to appear to the south. On the 10F you'll fight Demios and get the
Horror dream from him. Also a new dungeon, the Great Tree Dungeon
has opened up between the road leading up to the Haunted castle and
the village of Takinen. There are doors here, which can only be
opened if Laura or Voirs are in your party. The entrance on the
Takinen side is to the east of the village.
18. Next exit down past the item shop in the 4th floor of the Gabath
tower. Down here you'll run into the pocket station robot that
isn't worth talking to unless you have a pocket station. Go out the
bottom and into the Swamp Dungeon here take the first exit screen
to your right and then exit one screen up and meet Yuki who you can
now add to your party. In any case exit the dungeon to a save/heal
point and go into the next dungeon, which is called The Maze of Gold
and Death. Here make sure you collect the final Zenon parts on the
4F. Fight the dragon boss, get the Greed dream and high tail it out
of there!
19. Your next stop on this little tour de' dungeon without much plot
bit is back in Cormuck. Here you'll find that a giant beanstalk has
grown out of the ground. Go up the beanstalk dungeon to find a goofy
candy castle in the sky (Holy hybrid fairy tales Batman!). The candy
castle dungeon involves using a number of frustrating warps to reach
the end of it. Be patient and you'll make it out eventually! At the
top you'll meet a giant cat boss (Yes that is a cat, look at the
graphics carefully), kill it to get the dream of Gluttony and collect
the trophy in the room behind it.
20. Next head to the lost town (via the Sun baked cave to the
crossroads. Then exit to the top right through the paved dungeon.).
At the lost town go to the inn and place all 4 of the dreams on the
bedposts of the lower left bed. Before doing this you may want to
talk to the stamp man just outside the inn and collect a trophy from
him. In any case after placing the dreams on the bed choose to rest :
You wake up in a strange dream world. When everyone first sees you
they think that you are a ghost and freak out. The townspeople also
talk about Ido, the king of the dream world a lot. Collect various
goods in the Dream Lost town and exit into the Dream Popolo Fields.
You may notice that all the monsters are tiny here. Cute, huh.
In any case you'll end up in the Dream Popolcrois town where everyone
keeps on referring to you as Paroum (Your father's name). You are
brought in front of the king (Your grandpa) and he yells at you for
not getting the crown of wisdom as he asked. This goes on for a bit
and nobody can figure out that you're really not your father.
Explore a bit if you wish and then head to Takinen (Or at least where
Takinen is supposed to be).
21. In pre-Takinen Takinen you'll run into a kid who looks awfully
familiar (At least if you played Popolocrois Monogatari). Go to the
Cave of Kings where you meet your dad who's nervously contemplating
what to do about fetching the crown. He finally decides that you can
help him get the crown. Go through the super easy dungeon. Be sure
and collect the slug with angel wings and the giant slug monster in
your bin, as they will boost your statistics a lot at the gourmet
palace. In any case you reach the bottom, after which your dad gives
you a key to open the basement door that'll work in the real world.
You will also find a weird box, which your dad said he was told not to
touch : but you end up opening it any ways and let out Ido to wreak
havoc on the world. Oops!
22. After you wake up head to Guilda's Tree and explain what
happened. She suggests that you go to the King's cave to collect a
mirror that will allow you to enter the lair of Ido. So : go to the
bottom of the King's Cave dungeon and get the mirror and return to
Guilda's tree house. She needs a while to fix the mirror so it might
be a good time to explore the rest of the lost forest since all the
doors are open there now (This is of course optional). Sleep at the
inn (again, on the 2nd story of the bread shop) in Takinen and meet
Narcia the next day. She tells you to take care and gives you the
mirror. She also tells you the location of Ido's lair. It is in the
lake by Tonku.
23. To get to the lake go to the same house you found Misha and
Leopard in. In the back is a guy who offers you a boat ride. Take
the boat and enter the final few dungeons. Since the end dungeons
require little explanation I'll leave the exploring to you. It would
be wise to bring Imuji along though, since he can identify all of the
? items you'll find. Needless to say when I beat the game my
party consisted of Pietoro Level 45, Yuki Level 46, and Voris Level
50. I found the boss a little to easy to beat (I think he's level
40), so if you want a challenging final fight try not to have your
levels to high (The last challenging final boss battle I remember is
from FF 3).
In order to end the game for real simply talk to your father in the
palace and agree with him twice. The ending is a bit of a let down,
but maybe they're looking for a sequel so : But fret not! The game
still goes on! (See the secrets and sub-plots section). Well take time
to enjoy your virtual victory and thanks for using my walkthrough!
END OF WALKTHROUGH
7) SECRETS AND SUB-PLOTS (Under much Construction)
1.The End??: After beating the game you'll have the option of
continuing in a new mysterious world. You'll also be given a new
option at the title screen. This world consists of Popolocrois castle
and town and one big dungeon that looks like the King's cave. I only
managed to make it to the B7F of the dungeon before my file was erased
so I don't know much about it except that you can find both Gon and
Don as playable characters in it. If anyone explores this further
PLEASE e-mail me so I can update this part.
2. Romeo and Juliet: This is a little sub-plot that can be done in
Takinen at any time. Go to the basement of the Tiger department store
and receive a package from a guy (Ryan), who's in love with the
daughter of the owner of the Dragon department store (Meg). Next go t
a mansion in the center of town and go upstairs and deliver the
package to Meg. Downstairs you let it slip that there is something
going on between Meg and Ryan (Ha ha ha, In case you didn't get it by
now). And Meg's mom makes you go find them. They're hiding in the
top of the blue lookout tower in the south of town. Go back to the
mansion and the families argue until Guilda shows up to yell at you
for getting sidetracked on your quest. You explain the situation to
Guilda who clears things up because they think she's a death goddess.
You get a nifty sword and a meteo bomb spell in return for your good
deeds.
3. STAMP MANIA: The following gives the locations of all the stamps.
#1
#2
#3 Behind the bread shop in Takinen.
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12 To the right of Guilda's tree, covered by foliage
#13
#14
#15 Kara Kara desert/plains B1F
#16
#17 The Sunbaked Cave B3F (Between Cormuck and Crossroads)
#18 Hidden in trees, exit straight out the left gate in Popolocrois
town.
#19
#20
#21 Poporo Field dungeon
#22 The Paved Dungeon 4F (Between Lost City and Crossroads)
#23 The Strange Cave B1F (Between Tonku and Crossroads)
#24 The Sun baked Cave B2F (Between Cormuck and Crossroads)
#25 Gami Gami Dungeon (I think it's on 1F)
#26
#27
#28 The Strange Cave B2F (Between Tonku and Crossroads)
#29
#30 In the lost forest, towards the north
#31
#32
4.Save Luis in Gabath: This can be done anytime after arriving in
Gabath, but before defeating Demios. First off talk to the lost
soldier on the balcony, he'll give you a pass. Now go up to the top
floor and save the casino owner from Demios. After saving him he'll
give you a ring. Next go to the basement, and using your pass, go to
the bottom floor. Here talk to Luis on the treadmill (Top right, I
think) and agree to give him the ring. Now watch the events unfold
and go back to the top and get the gold armor set from Luis.
5.HANS the blacksmith: Firstly go to the blacksmith shop in Tonku and
see Hans leave (He's a blond guy with no shirt). Next go to Gabath,
now go back to the blacksmith shop and get a bird by talking to the
blacksmith in the smithing room (Or maybe just get the bird on the 3rd
floor). Now go back to Gabath on the 3rd floor you'll run into Hans
and give him the bird. Now go back to Tonku and talk to the
blacksmiths. They will tell you about mysterious weapons and metal
which, if you bring to them they can upgrade for you. Go to the
Strange Cave Dungeon and find a sword behind a previously unopenable
door. Bring the sword back to the blacksmiths and they will upgrade
it for a price. Now whenever you find this metal you can bring the
sword back to the smiths, and eventually make it the best weapon in
the game. There are also other weapons that can be modified that are
found in scattered dungeons around the world. The best thing to do is
to send all 5 lost soldiers home and play out the Hans event and then
re-explore all the dungeons since these two events open many new doors.
6.Gourmet palace: The gourmet palace is located on the 5F of Gabath.
After collecting monsters in your bin go here to turn them into
food. Each monster will modify temporary and/or permanent statistics.
You must choose from one of three chefs, each cooking certain
monsters with different results. There are 210 monsters in Poporogue
and 3 chefs so I don't really feel like typing out the list. If you
really really want the list e-mail me and I'll send it to you. The
best thing to do is to buy the guidebook since it lists everything and
has complete maps for all the dungeons.
7.How to get Musashi: First you must get Yuki (see the walkthrough
above). Next go to the Graveyard dungeon and you'll discover a new
exit(remember that the exits are marked with a yellow arrow on the
map) half-way through. Go out here and meet Musashi. After he leaves
collect the chest. Next go to the Ice cave find a new exit and do the
same thing as before. After this go to the fire cave (I think, though
I might have mixed up the order with the ice cave) and in the lowest
basement find another exit and again talk and collect. Finally after
you've collected the 4 dreams go to the paved maze and find a new
exit. Here Musashi will finally join you. Note: You can not have
Yuki in your party at any of the times you meet Musashi, or hel will
not appear.
8.Get Zenon: After collecting all the parts (Sun baked cave B4F,
Submarine Gallery B3?F, and Maze of Gold and Death 4F) go to the small
shack in Tonku where you met the guy with the robot, close to the
place where you met Leopard and Misha, and deliver him the parts.
Walla, Zenon is yours to control.
8) POCKET STATION
Err : sorry but my game got erased before I could use the Pocket
station. All I know is that the Pocket Station game revolves around a
little robot collecting items. If you can submit anything here I'd
be grateful.
9) THANKS.
First off a disgruntled Better hope you don't meet me in a dark
alley to whoever invented the new import stopping technology. Also
to whomever thought it would be a good idea to make the battle system
such, that you can't control the characters for the first third of
the game.
Thanks to Sugar and Rockets for making a cool sequel. Thanks to
whoever wrote the Poporogue guide book. Thanks to whomever designed
the quirky characters. Thanks to Michelle Gun Elephant, UA, Freebo,
the Beach Boys, and Hideki Kadji for helping me out when video game
music got to be too much for me (which is quite often). Thanks to
Donna for hanging out with me while I played video games. Thanks to
my girlfriend for the occasional quick kanji translations and for
letting me play with the playstation instead of her. Thanks to the guy
who wrote the Popolocrois FAQ. And most of all thanks to my kanji
dictionary! Also thanks to you for reading my probably meaningless to
you thanks list and using my walkthrough.
If you really went crazy for Poporogue there's a number of
Popolocrois and Poporogue products available like an art book and
interactive data disk which allows you to upload all the trophies from
Popolocrois Monogatari as well as get cool pocket station items. Also
there are Popolocrois anime video's and collectors cards available.
Popolocrois was voted the most popular RPG amongst female players in
Japan (Just thought I'd throw that in).
Poporogue and Popolocrois are copyrighted by Sugar & Rockets, as
well as S.C.E.I. as well as all the names and images of the characters
therein.
PLEASE feel more than free to copy and distribute this FAQ to anyone
as long as you don't charge them anything. Also, be kind and give me
credit for writing it. Since I slaved my but off writing this, I want
the credit.
PLEASE e-mail me with any comments, questions or complaints you have
about either Popolocrois or Poporogue. I'll give due credit to
anyone who helps me out!
You can reach me at: melonpapa@yahoo.com
And remember; you're not wasting your time playing video games,
you're practicing your Japanese!
